Join Very Shannon’s Summer Sweater Knitalong

I love a good knitalong (though I’m notoriously bad at finishing things for knitalongs), and Very Shannon’s Summer Sweater Knitalong is a good one. It encourages people who’ve never knit garments before to give it a try, and for everyone else it’s a reminder that fall isn’t that far off after all.

This year’s knitalong will run from July 30 through Sept. 24, and all you have to do is sign up and at least start knitting or crocheting a sweater of any style, any size (including for children) during the knitalong period.

You can talk about your project, get or give advice and show off your finished projects in the Ravelry group, get inspiration on the Pinterest board and share your work on social media with the hashtag #sskal14.

At the end of the knitalong some participants will receive lovely prizes from the sponsors, so you’ll want to sign up and play along.

Does this sound like something you’d be interested in? Have you participated in this or other knitalongs before? I’d love to hear about it!

[Photo via Very Shannon/Brooklyn Tweed.]

Next Pattern:

Sometimes I feel like knitters get intimidated to try new things because they think they need to start with a big project. Your first time working in the round doesn’t need to be a sock, and your first colorwork doesn’t need to be a sweater, for example. You can find little projects that use the skills you want to learn to build your confidence before you move on to something that requires more time commitment.

This adorable knit bunny, for example.

The colorwork bunny from Knit Picks was designed by Amy Munson and is a kind of bowling pin shaped bunny complete with a knit hat, contrasting inner ears and a little stranded colorwork on its body. Note that the ears are attached the the hat not the bunny, but you could stitch them to the bunny if you’d rather.

It’s worked from the bottom up and also has a tiny pompom tail you can’t see in the picture but it’s a really cute touch. There are a variety of little fair isle patterns to choose from to make the best bunny for you.

The bunny comes out about 8 inches tall (or just over 20 cm) and use several colors to complete the colorwork, depending on the design you choose.

You can purchase the pattern by itself from Knit Picks, or make a kit that includes sport weight yarn in all the colors you need for your creation. There are gray and brown options for the main body of the bunny, but of course if you’re using your own yarn you can make it whatever color you like.

Once you’ve tried colorwork (maybe also working in the round and shaping if those are skills you haven’t used before) in a little project like this you’ll be ready to take on something bigger in no time.

Check out the pattern on Knit Picks.

[Photo: Knit Picks]

Next Pattern:

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